1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to laser optical components, and in particular to fiber collimators.
2. Technical Background
The light transmitted through the fiber interacts with a variety of optical elements, such as, among others, modulators, splits, and combiners. In most cases at least one fiber is led into an enclosure operating as an optical system. The input light interacts with one or more optical devices within the enclosure, and the resulting light exits the enclosure and may be coupled to a single or multiple output fibers.
In practice, the fibers used in such optical systems are typically held in collimator assemblies which are aligned to the enclosure of the optical system. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical collimator assembly 10 including as its most fundamental components housing or outer case 12, a fiber 14, a small glass tube or ferrule 18 which holds the exposed fiber end, and a graded-index lens (GRIN) lens 20.
The assembly and alignment of the conventional collimator assembly involve time-consuming and labor-intensive operations. The spatial position between ferrule 18 with fiber 14 held in the ferrule and lens 20 may be of a particular concern during the use of the assembled collimator since it often experiences external impacts easily misaligning these components. To provide collimator assembly 10 with additional robustness, a conventional collimator may have inner sleeves 16 and 22 machined from outgassing metals or ceramics and configured to hold ferrule 18 and lens 20 in the desired fixed spatial relationship. In addition, once the distance between collimator has been set, the entire assembly is treated with epoxy.
The use of outgassing materials may be critically damaging to the assembled collimator due to prohibitively elevated temperatures as well known to one of ordinary skills in the art of lasers. Furthermore, manufacturing of additional parts, such as at least one inner sleeve, adds to the already cost-ineffective and time-consuming process of the manufacturing of collimator assemblies.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a robust, thermally stable and cost-effective structure of a collimator assembly.